News
Lung health gets a powerful breath
Wide-ranging are the plans on the table to take respiratory medicine in Sri Lanka to a different level, as chest physicians, both local and foreign, meet for an exhaustive and in-depth three-day pow-wow. Aptly titled ‘Respire 9’ with the theme ‘Nurture healthy lungs for life’, the annual academic sessions of the Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists will be held from July 6 to 8 at the Hotel Galadari in Colombo.
The plans include developing the Welisara Hospital as a National Institute of Respiratory Medicine and the introduction of a Lung Transplant Programme in Sri Lanka, the Sunday Times learns. The Welisara Hospital has a long tradition of treating respiratory illnesses and there is ample space for wards and development of this specialty of medicine, said the President of the College of Pulmonologists, Dr. S. Muhunthan, while its Secretary Dr. Geethal Perera refers to the vision of introducing a Lung Transplant Programme in coordination with other partners including Thoracic and Cardiothoracic Surgeons.
“We are setting up the framework to launch a transplant programme in the near future,” said Dr. Perera, pointing out that the college is in the process of developing a register of those who are affected by illnesses such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Interstitial Lung Disease so that those needing lung transplants may be identified on a priority basis. A register is also needed to introduce standardized management of patients.
The government has provided lots of valuable equipment and most services linked to respiratory medicine are available under the 34 Chest Physicians based in the districts, it is learnt, with the major centres of treatment being Welisara, Kandy and Colombo. The college is also hopeful of expanding and strengthening services at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital to reach a very high level of care for patients.
Dealing with the common ailment of asthma, Dr. Perera said that the college has not only lobbied with the Health Ministry but also made the people aware that asthma is a treatable condition and with proper management people can lead normal lives. “With a government move to issue inhalers free of charge to the public, we are trying to go before the public to make them aware that asthma is controllable and that adults can go about their work and children can attend to their studies without hindrance,” he said.
It is in this context that the college celebrated the significant event of World Asthma Day in May, conducting a series of school health education programmes and an Asthma Walk in the Galle and Hambantota districts, with a workshop on nebulizers and inhaler technique being conducted for health professionals at the Puttalam Base Hospital and Chest Clinic.
Earlier in March, the college held extensive programmes linked to World Tuberculosis (TB) Day to create public awareness. A media conference was held in Colombo; a symposium on TB including lectures on diagnostics and clinical causes as well as TB in special circumstances and preventive measures conducted in Kandy with the participation of many chest physicians; a public health walk and an art competition were held in Anuradhapura; an awareness programme conducted for estate medical assistants and healthcare workers in Hatton; and workshops were held by respiratory teams in the Badulla and Kurunegala districts.
The National TB Day Programme was conducted in Kalutara by the National Programme for Tuberculosis Control and Chest Diseases (NPTCCD). With respiratory medicine being closely linked to the environment, the college partnered with the Sri Lanka Medical Association to hold a Health Walk on the theme ‘Clean air for healthy living’ in early June.
Meanwhile, in a very significant move, the Respiratory Unit of the Hambantota District General Hospital launched a much-needed pulmonary rehabilitation programme for those suffering from chronic lung diseases which limit their exercise capacity, it is learnt. The programme had earlier been held only in larger centres such as Colombo and Welisara.
It included exercise training by three trained physiotherapists, psychological counselling by a psychologist, nutritional advice by a nutritionist and patient education by a respiratory medical team. With the enrolled patients in Hambantotoa undergoing initial assessment followed by two-hour twice weekly sessions for six weeks, currently two groups of patients have completed the programme with remarkable outcomes, it is understood. The college is hoping to roll out this programme to other hospitals across the country.
| Focus on the air we breathe at ‘Respire 9’ inauguration The highlight of ‘Respire 9’ will be the inauguration ceremony on July 6, with the C.G. Uragoda Oration being delivered by the Director of the Chest Research Foundation, Pune, India, Dr. Sundeep Salvi on ‘The air we breathe: Its impact on our health’. More than 400 will participate in the subsequent scientific sessions, which will see 18 foreign and 33 local experts taking to the podium to speak on wide ranging issues connected to lung health. While the spotlight will be turned on important topics such as asthma, bronchiectasis (a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung), pleural diseases, pulmonary radiology, paediatric lung diseases, non-invasive ventilation, respiratory infections, lung physiology and critical care, a pre-congress workshop will be held on ‘A multidisciplinary approach to pulmonary rehabilitation and practical essentials in oxygen therapy’. The unique aspects of the sessions include the first-ever expert reviews, a year in review and an industrial-sponsored meeting to garner diversified views. Breakfast ‘capsule’ meetings will be held on ‘Interventional bronchoscopy’ and ‘High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) interpretation’, while the 10 symposia will cover wide and varied topics. | |